Unfinished Sentence
by GoThIcToMokO
Summary: Drunks can be extremly honest, but what happens when Naruto stop just before saying something very important? Yaoi, M in later chapters, SasuNaru
1. Party

[So, well, this is a first… It is the first Naruto's FF I've ever written and the first FF in english I've ever attempted to write… Unfortunately, English is not my first language, so don't be too mean!

_**Unfinished Sentence**_

-Garçon, another bear!

The shout echoed through the tables and a boy with a blue apron nodded, running towards the bar.

-Is it possible that you always have to make such a mess, dobe?

The blond ninja showed one of his huge smiles, face red for the laughter and, maybe, for drinking more than he was able to stand, and he gave to his companion a powerful slap on his back. "Well, maybe too much powerful" thought Sasuke, coughing.

-Come on, temee, don't be a pain in the ass as always! We're all having fun, you know!

The bleack-haired Uchiha had his doubts, about this: in effect, the party smelled trouble from the beginning… The idea (as always when it came to stupid things) was Naruto's, and Sakura immediately supported the project. Why she was so keen to organise a party invating all their "friends" was still a mistery to him: Naruto had whimpered to invite also the Sand brothers, including therefore that creepy red-haired guy who (and this was also more disturbing) had accepted right away. He slightly panicked when the dobe had suggested to invite also Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei: the last thing he wanted was to see his two teachers snogging in front of him. It was enough to make him become a heavy drinker before turning 18… Luckily, Sakura had punched Naruto on the head, telling him how stupid his idea was.

-Naruto, you idiot! If the senseis are present, we won't be able to drink! Think, sometimes!

And with that (and with Naruto pouting for almost a day), the party was set. Well, actually it wasn't really a party… It was more a reunion floating in the alcohol and in the general will to drink to complete drunkness.

"Well, in this sense it's a success"thought Sasuke, looking with hidden pity at the people around him.

Hino, Tenten and Temari were laughing like mads at Hinata, who was desperately drunk and tried to gather up the courage to confess to Naruto.

"Poor thing, she can't even stand up properly. It'll be a miracle if she manage to get home at the end of the night…"

Chouji, Shikamaru and the dog-boy (he was so insignificant that he didn't bother to remember his name) were busy in a stupid drimking competition and they were at the 20th vodka without a winner yet. To make up for it, they all looked like they were going to faint, or be sick, or maybe the two things together.

In a darker corner, against the wall, sat Gaara, who seemed to be very interested in staring at a half-naked Lee; Sasuke had discovered during the night that the thick-eyebrows guy had the unusal habit of stripping, when drunk. In that moment, he was trying to persuade Neiji and Kankuro, the only two sober people except him, of the power of youth. But, as far as he looked, he had only persuaded Gaara of being an easy and tasty target.

"God, if creepy boy begin coming on to him and the they do something out of alcohol, I swear I'm gonna kick Naruto's ass until it turns blue! Always his fault!"

Said ninja, completely unaware of Sasuke's murderous plans, went ordering one drink after another out of the generosity of a costumer, who looked very fascineted by the blond beauty. Of course, Naruto didn't know about this, nor did he know about the glares Sasuke was casting to the stranger: they were his best "I'm mean, I'm an Uchiha and I'm gonna kill you in a very painful way if you go on annoying me" looks.

"Always effective" nodded Sasuke smirking, as he saw the man shuddering and run away from his table.

-SASUKE-KUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!!

"Damn pink-haired bitch! She and her banshee shrills! I will cut her tongue, sooner or later, so let's see if she can howl in people's ear ever again!"

He didn't let this thought affect his perfectly annoyed façade as he turned to look at her. Bu he immediately got pale.

"Please, tell me she's not going to do it… Please God, or whoever is up there, tell she's not thinking what I know she's thinking…"

Sasuke hoped he was somewhere else, far and far away from the pink-haired psycho, who looked like she was about to jump at him or to shout him her everlasting love. And he couldn't tell for his dear life what was worse. Luckily, just in that moment, Naruto decided to make his trioumphal apparence, jumping between the two and saving Sasuke from a terrible love confession.

-Oi, temee! What're you doing with Sakura-chaaaan?

-Man, dobe- complained Sasuke, a bit disgusted –You really stink of alcohol…

-So what? What d'you mean?

-Stop drinking, you idiot!

Damn, Naruto was annoying even when drunk! He didn't think he would have lost a little of his spicy and petulant attitudy, but at least soften a bit; on the contrary, he semeed to enjoy the argue more and more… He looked at him dead in the eye, decided to make him stop blattering about him being a spoiled, arrogant jerk, but he couldn't find the strenght to properly glare at him: Naruto looked… _tasty. _His usually lively blue eyes were hazy and blur, sucking his own iris in a dark blue ocean and making him sink in their bottmless dephts; his face was flushed and red, his lips stood out like rose petals on the tan skin, and Sasuke could almost see a tip of a luring tongue coming out to wet them. The Uchiha was suddendly aware of how close they stood, divided by a fiw inches: it would have been so simple to close that gap and claim for his mouth and then…

-Naruto, what are you doing?! Go away! I'm talking to Sasuke!- shrieked Sakura, seeming suddendly very jealous.

"Dammit, what was I thinking? I'm intoxicated or something, maybe Naruto passed his drunkness on me…"

The boy was so worried about his previous thoughts that, when Naruto climbed on the table yelling at Sakura and drawing the attention of the entire pub on him for a few seconds, he didn't know how the two had come to that point.

-No, you can't talk to Sasuke! You can't, you can't, you CAN'T!

-And why can't I talk to him, let's see!

-'Cause…

As quickly as he had heat up, Naruto wore off, looking suddendly very much sober, very much pale and very much worried; that, without no reason apparent. He climbed down the table, turning his back to his friends, stuttering like he was on the edge of tears.

-I'm…I'm not feeling well. I'm going home.

Sasuke remained still, stunned for the sudden mood change: one minute he was almost hitting Sakura with a Rasengan, the other he was walking alone out of the pube, like a beat puppy. What had gotten in him, honestly, he couldn't really understand.

"Well, let's hope he finds his way back home… It won't be simple, as he is alone, half-drunk and it's definetly dark out there!"

* * *

-Well, temee? Why you decided to follow me?

Naruto seemed to be a little better, but Sasuke couldn't know for sure: he had had the timing to come just when Naruto was leaning against a wall, throwing his soul up.

-Uhn, shut up and thank me instead! If I hadn't come to rescue you, by now you would be sleeping in your vomit.

-Please, don't remind me, or I'm gonna be sick again…

They walked in silence for a few minutes, Sasuke almost dragging his friends down the street, as the blond had no strenght left any longer. To speak the truth, the Uchiha hadn't followed Naruto without reason: it was possible that the stranger from the bar was still in the street, waiting for Naruto to come out alone to kidnap him and then… Now that he thought about it, it was simply absurd: Naruto could have been drunk, but he was still one of the strongest ninja in the village and he wouldn't have let anyone kidnap him without fighting first; yes, it had been real stupid of him! But, in that moment, not knowing what the blond was doing or where he was, Sasuke had almost panicked, storming out of the pub as quickly as possible.

-Ehm, Sasuke? We arrived…

He looked up, seeing that, in effect, they were stooding in front of Naruto's house; without saying a word, he took the key the blond was holding and opened the door. He didn't even bother to take hi shoes off, as he dragged his stubborn friend up to the couch.

-Why you took me inside? I coulda have done it myself…- pouted Naruto, looking all but grateful for the gentle act.

-Well, then next time remind me to leave you half-dead on the doorstep. You will be happier this way, won't you?- retorted the black-haired boy, now really annoyed by his never-ending complaints –Don't worry, I'm going away, I took you inside so if you die nobody will say it is my fault. 'Night, dobe.

-Wait!

Sasuke turned slightly, so to see the blond with the corner of the eye; the entire situation was strange, to say the least: the drunkness, that unfinished sentence at the pub, his sudden leaving and, now, this wish (or rather, plea) for him to stay. Sasuke didn't know what was going on, and he definitely wanted to unreveal the mistey.

-Why should I? I took you home, you're safe enough to survive until morning, so why should I stay?

Naruto stared at him speechless, getting, if possible, even paler and hiding in a blanket he had found on the couch. For a moment, the Uchiha was almost hurt by this sight: Naruto always acted like he could do everything, like a sort of superman with a never-fading smile, but in that moment he looked so young, so helpless, so lonely.

-I don't… I don't want you to go…

-A little selfish as explation, don't you say?

Naruto didn't notice the soft note that underlined his friend's question, as he was too busy in finding a reply.

-Maybe, but… Is it so wrong?

Sasuke suddendly understood: they were not talking only about him staying or not, or about Naruto's mood swings, no, it was something more subtle. More _important. _He turned completely, getting close to Naruto, so now they were looking each other in the eye.

-What were you about to say before, in the pub? You said "Because" and then you stopped, why? What you wanted to say?

Naruto looked away, turning eyes down; he was shivering, leaning more against the couch. His mouth moved without telling anything, like he was trying to regain his breath or maybe to cough out a dangerous confession.

-Naruto…

Sasuke wanted the whisper to reassure Naruto, but it had the adverse effect: the blond jumped on his feet and ran towards the stairs, slamming a door behind his back.

Sasuke didn't want to know, but as he left the house, he could hear someone cry all his tears…

[Please, don't kill me… I wanted to write a one-shot, but then Naruto took over and didn't want to smex… çç However, if someone out there could help with this FF, I'd be very grateful! I really need a Beta! Thank you! R&R please! See ya!


	2. The day after

[Hello, I'm back! So, here it is the second chapter! hope you like it! And thanks and eternal love to yaoiprincess for betaing me! Girl, you rock!

The morning after, our group of heroes woke up with a glorious hangover and a splitting headache; the girls were the luckiest ones: they remembered everything that had happened the previous night, even if it was a little confused and blurry, and they were in their own bed, knowing perfectly how they had got there. Or better, how Neiji and Kankuro had dragged them in.

On the other hand, some of the boys woke up only to find a few surprises, most of them not so pleasant.

That morning, Kiba woke up as usual, hugging his beloved Akamaru, vaguely wondering when his pet had become so... _hairless_ "And when did he grow bigger than me?" he thought confusedly, trying to open his eyes.

A low murmur beside him woke Kiba completely: he realized he wasn't in his messy flat, but in a tidier and larger house; he realized that the bed he had been sleeping in wasn't his old futon, and that the figure he had been embracing in his sleep wasn't Akamaru, but Shino.

A very naked Shino.

He didn't know how he could be sure it was him, as he couldn't see very well yet, but his naked body and his own state of nudity didn't leave any doubts about what they had done.

Shino, in turn, opened his eyes only to be welcomed by an ear-splitting yell, as Kiba screamed something that sounded like "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY ASS, YOU INSECT FREAK?!"

It was good that Shino's house was a good distance from the village, otherwise they would have been teased relentlessly for what they had accomplished in their drunken stupor by more than the birds Kiba had just scared into hiding. I don't think the birds will be returning—nor will the dead (who decided it would be a better idea to flea and avoid the coming confusion)

It took an hour, and all Shino's patience, to calm the other boy and to talk to him without risking a serious wound. Speaking reasonably with Kiba was a hard task normally; trying to say one word when he was angry was almost impossible.

They settled down on the bed, Kiba keeping his distance from the "rapist" (he went on calling him that way in his mind).

-So, what do you remember about last night?

The dog-boy shrugged, avoiding his inquiring stare.

-I remember only that stupid game, then nothing... And I really don't want to remember more! Why? There something I should know?

Shino fell silent, ignoring his friend's question: he actually remembered everything clearly; still he didn't know if it was a blessing or just a curse, as there were things he didn't want to remember at all. For example, the show of Chouji throwing up on the floor was not one of the memories he wanted to cherish... Neiji and Kankuro had dragged away the girls and Shikamaru before they could do anything stupid or order another drink: the sight of the two boys forcing the others out of the pub and cursing under their breath was slightly amusing even for him. Naruto, Sasuke, Gaara and Lee had disappeared God knew where, so he was the only one left to take Kiba home. And it was then that the problems had begun...

"I really want to know if that 'I can't find the keys' story is true, because I am beginning to suspect it was just an excuse for him to have my hands in my trousers... Not that it didn't happen, but..."

-Hello? Someone in there?- said Kiba, snapping his finger to regain the other's attention.

Shino shuddered, then smiled in a way that made Kiba's inside tingle.

-Wh-what... what's with that smile?

-I want to see if you're still drunk...

Kiba gulped, backing off until he was trapped between the wall and the body of the other boy.

-I'm sober; you don't have to control anything!

-Oh, but I do want to control... Because, you see... – he leaned forward until he was just a few inches from Kiba's lips –When you're drunk, you're incredibly honest and I'd really like to enjoy that honesty of yours once again.

-And what if I'm not drunk?

Shino grinned even more widely, whispering a few words before closing the gap between him and Kiba.

-In that case, I'll make you fall for me.

°°°°°

Almost at the same time, Gaara woke up in a room that was not his, in a bed that was not his, with a boy ... Well, with a man that now he could claim as his: during the night, he had been sure of leaving several red marks and bites on his neck and on his whole body. "Just to make clear whom he belongs to... "

The read-haired boy stood up, careful not to wake Lee, who was sleeping peacefully, clinging to his chest and muttering something unintelligible in his sleep; he even sighed when Gaara parted from him, like he was already missing his warmth. Gaara allowed himself to smile a little at that sight: he was extremely possessive with what was his, but also Lee didn't seem that keen on letting go his brand new lover.

Unfortunately, Gaara had no intentions of being in that apartment when the other would wake up: to speak the truth, he did not have the guts to face Lee immediately, nor did he want to listen to his obvious questions, late complaints or, even worse, his yells. It would have ruined the mood...

On the other hand, the red-haired boy was sure Lee would know what he had done the previous night and, most of all, with whom: just in case the red marks all over his body weren't proof enough, he decided to _casually _leave the scarf he had worn during the party near the bed...

What Gaara didn't know was that Lee would wake up with no memory of the party: it was all weird merry-go-round of colours and sounds to him, but nothing would make any sense. Moreover, a powerful headache distracted his attention from the dull pain in his private parts, so that he didn't bother to look in the mirror or even question himself WHAT could have caused that annoyance...

"Maybe I've just overdone with training..."

And with that thought, he left his house, completely ignoring the scarf that lay, forgotten, on the floor...

Naruto was nowhere to be found. It was like he had disappeared. Flown away. Vanished in thin air.

Sasuke had tried to search him in the whole village, street-by-street, home-by-home, but no one seemed to have seen or even heard of him since the previous night, when Sasuke himself had brought him home. Naruto was a person that surely stood out of in a crowd, with his bright golden hair and his noisy attitude, so if no one had seen him, that meant that Naruto wasn't in the village.

And this conclusion made Sasuke even angrier and more worried; the Uchiha had searched all day long, almost running down the streets as the hours went by. His frustration was so huge and visible that a black threatening aura surrounded him, scaring people to death. No one dared to walk on the same road with him and that annoyed Sasuke even more.

"That dobe... When I find him, I swear I'll punch some sense in him! And then I'll..."

-Sasuke-kun?

Said black-haired boy turned around, wearing his best "You little piece of scum, how dare you even talking with me?" expression, only to face an unusually pale Iruka. In all honesty, he couldn't say if that paleness of his was because of him or not.

-Yes?

-Ehm... I know I'm bothering you, but...- Iruka looked at him like he was his last hope in the world

–Have you seen Naruto? I've been searching for hours, but I still I can't find him...

Now Sasuke was really worried: if even Iruka, the person that Naruto probably trusted the most in the world, didn't know where the blonde had gone, then the dobe... He shivered slightly, trying his best not to think about the worst scenarios.

-Have you looked everywhere?

-Well... I was going searching in the forest, but I don't think Naruto...

-I will go- Sasuke interrupted him, walking quickly past him –If you find him, let me know it, right?

Iruka just nodded, looking rather impressed by Sasuke's decision, stuttering a feeble:

-Sure...

Sasuke vanished without a sound in the darkness of the night approaching, leaving Iruka completely alone on the street, with only the company of a lonely moth. A sigh escaped his lips, breaking the sleeping silence around him.

-Sorry, Sasuke. It's for his sake...

[Uhuhu... I **love **cliff-hangers... demoniac laughter Hope you liked it! R&R!


	3. Doubts and mistery

((Yeeeeeeah! Chapter 3 is on! Thanks a lot to yaoiprincess who's beataing me... I don't know how I could manage without her! Enjoy and PLEASE review!))

**Chapter 3 : _Doubts and mistery_**

Complete darkness surrounded Iruka's house. All the windows were shut and the heavy curtains (the ones Iruka hated but never had the time time to change) blocked off the dazzling light of the new-born moon. Only a thin ray of light escaped from the weaves of old fabric, brushing lightly the little figure lying on the bed.

Iruka couldn't help but sigh at the sight: it was almost disturbing, seeing such a splendid blond head of hair on his pillow, when he was so used to seeing a silver one… and then, the expression on Naruto's face was so heart-breaking he couldn't bear it anymore. He shook the ninja gently, whispering his name:

-Naruto, Naruto… please wake up.

Said boy muttered something that sounded a lot like "Temee" to his ears, and that only saddened him more. It always resolved around Sasuke, didn't it? Around that cold boy that seemed to draw in Naruto's every move, thought, and tear.

When his student had shown himself at his door earlier that night he didn't need to ask why Naruto was so devastated, why he was in so much pain: his blue eyes spoke only the name of the Uchiha.

-Sensei… Has Sasuke gone?

The adult nodded silently, even if his pupil's eyes were still closed; Iruka had noticed that Naruto always did this: he just lay in the bed, controlling his breathing and pretending he was still asleep-- like he wanted to catch his treacherous dreams and never wake up. He never managed to do that; but for some strange reason, this act of his still had the power to move him.

-Yes, I sent him in the forest. He won't be back for a couple of hours, but when he returns, he will run here for sure.

Iruka sat on the bed, petting Naruto's blond hair.

-Want to talk about it?

-About what?

-About you and Sasuke.

Iruka could feel Naruto stiffen under his touch, like his words had just stabbed him in his heart.

-There's nothing to talk about. Nothing happened.

The sensei shook his head, either in astonishment or sweetness; the blond child always tried to act mature when it came to important and painful things: he still didn't want anyone to near him, fearing people's cruelty and cold. And what hurt Iruka the most was that, in these moments, he didn't distinguish between friends and enemies, avoiding everyone.

-Then why are you hiding? What happened during the party?

Naruto finally opened his eyes: dark-blue depths staring into his eyes, inquiring, searching for any lies or tricks; when he found none, the blond relaxed under the caress of his teacher, whispering with the fleebest voice:

-It is all so... confused... We drank a lot and my head felt so light that I thought I was floating a few inches from the ground. I was... happy, there's no other way to say it: all my friends surrounded me, all the people important to me were gathered in the same place, how couldn't I be happy?

-But then... – he continued, sighing lightly, gripping the fabric of Iruka's trousers – Sakura gave him _that_ look. Y' know, the look that says: "I'm cute, I'm smart, I'm in heat and I'm trying in all ways to pick you up"... she wears it only when she's collecting the courage to say something to Sasuke, but that time I think she wouldn't have stopped at some silly declaration... She would have tried something much more explicit. And I couldn't bear it.

-Still jealous of Sasuke?- asked Iruka, surprised that, after all this time, he still didn't accept Sakura's endless flirts with the raven-haired Uchiha.

Naruto smiled sadly, shaking his head.

-Well, in a sort of way... I couldn't bear Sakura's behaviour. I just thought: "No, she can't do it. She simply CAN'T." Sasuke's closeness was so pleasent, even if we were arguing, that I didn't want her to talk and ruin it all. I went on shouting: "You can't, you can't!" And when she asked me why...

Iruka could feel the tremble that was shaking Naruto's whole body: neither cold winds, nor snow could make him shiver, and now, because of a simple memory, his beloved boy was shivering and on the edge of tears. He didn't dare interrupt him, so he just tightned his grip on Naruto's shoulder, encouraging him to finish his narration.

-When she asked me why, I just tought: "Because he's my Sasuke, take your hands off him!"

Silence fell in the room, as Naruto interrupted once again, waiting for Iruka's reaction and hoping with all his heart he wouldn't reject him: it hurt so much to always be the loner, the one everyone avoided... The sensei just kept petting his pupil on his head, searching in the blond hair for the right words to reassure Naruto.

-Tell me, Naruto, you think I'm weird?

The ninja sat up, staring confused at his teacher.

-No! Why do you ask...?

-It's because I've been dating Kakashi-sensei. Maybe you could have thought I've strange to date another man, on top of that a man as perverted as Kakashi...

-No! That's not it! You love him, so it's natural! It's...

Iruka smiled softly, seeing the panick and the understanding in Naruto's eyes.

-You see, it's exactly the same thing... So, there's no need to agonize over what happened, the most important thing now is that you are sincere with him and with yourself.

The blond just shook his head, leaning frigthned into the older man's touch, searching for a warmth his heart couldn't feel at all.

-But... he won't... He will never...

-Maybe. Or maybe not... Whatever you decide, never let your smile fade, ok?

Naruto loosed his grip on his shoulder, noodding with his face still pressed in Iruka's chest; he looked up only to grace him with a malicious smile.

-But dating Kakashi... You really aren't that sane, y' know?

Iruka laughed, messing his hair up –I know!

°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°-°

If there was something completely impossibile, it was seeing Sasuke with something that resembled a human facial expression. And I don't mean the usual sarcastic smirks or the angered faces, I talk about real emotions shown by his splendid features: he just lacked in them.

So, seeing Sasuke with dark circles under his eyes and with a general complexion that suggested he had slept only few hours that night was really an event. But knowing what his night had been, no one would blame him for being that beat.

He had searched throughout the forest for most of the night, returning to the village only when the sun started to streak across the horizon; and only to find that Iruka was fast asleep in Kakashi's arms, both completely naked and with evident signs of a passionate sex night, while Naruto snored peacefully in his own bed. The sight of the blond sleeping alone, without even knowing what he had gone through to find him, made him so angry that, if he hadn't been a cool bastard who liked to seek revenge painfully, he would have broken in through the window and punched him until Naruto was a bleeding puddle of meat.

Fortunately, he just walked away and threw himself on the bed, falling asleep immediately. Even so, he had been able to sleep only one hour before the light seeping in his room would wake him definitely.

"Damn Naruto for vanishing for a whole day. And damn me for worrying that much about the dobe! I must be out of my mind..."

Leaning against the tree where his team usally met, he let himself close his eyes for a few minnutes, before a familiar trace of chakra forced him to regain his composure and his usual annoyed expression (the less tiring of all); Sakura made her apparence out of the wood, offending him as usual with that disgusting hair of hers and her too sweet greeting. Sasuke just grunted in return, not bothering to answer her properly.

-Eh, Sasuke-kun, do you know the last news?

Sasuke's glare was now piercing, as the raven-haired ninja used his eyes to stab his team-mate to death

-What kind of news?

Sakura began blattering what she thought were incredibly important matters for the village; Sasuke listened to her nonsense only with one ear, nodding every now and now, completely uninterested as it was news he had foretold long time ago. It didn't seem like it, but the Uchiha, even without Sharingan, had quite the eye to notice if two people were going to stick up together or anything like that: he had been the one less stunned when Iruka and Kakashi were found out dating, so he wasn't surprised that Shino and the dog-boy were a couple since the day of the party.

What leaved him puzzled was that the live gossip bulletins, Sakura and Ino, still didn't know anything about Gaara and Rock Lee: the red-haired boy hadn't returned yet to his village and he tried to look very casual about it, but Sasuke felt something had gone irreparably wrong between him and the thick-eyebrow guy.

"Not that I care... I have more important matters in my hand than mumbling over low gossips..."

-Hey, guys! How're you doing, dattebayo?

The blond who had filled his mind so much lately, appeared that very second in front of them, grinning like the dobe he was and immediatly getting next to Sakura, parting her from the Uchiha.

-Hello, Naruto! You are unusually early...- inquired the girl, eyeing at him as searching for any signs of weirdness.

-Just got up; hyper-active, that's all!- replied Naruto shining a beaming smile, sitting at the very feet of the tree Sasuke was leaning up against –Where's that pervert Kakashi? Late as usual?

-It could be, but since we are the ones early, today, we can always hope he will be in time, today... However, how did you manage to get home, the night of the party? I can't remember...

Sasuke alerted his senses, staring straight in Naruto's blue orbits, wich had only flickered briefly in his direction at Sakura's question. The blond chuckled, rather embarassed.

-I don't know neither! Guess I was just too drunk!

The other boy's face hardened, his brow furrowing with anger "He's lying and he knows I'm aware of it."

Sauke was nearly fuming: how could Naruto act so casual and not mention what had happened? Or rather, what had NOT happened? It was the lack of explanations and the blond's obstinacy to pretend nothing ever changed between them that made him angry.

-Sasuke, where are you going?- protested Sakura, when the black-haired boy walked away without warning.

-None of your business.

The Uchiha jumped from tree to tree, trying to get over his rage, but the farther he got from his friends, the more the thought of the blonde alone with Sakura made him furios. With one last jump, he landed on the ground, leaving a deep hole under his feet.

-Nervous, aren't we?

Sasuke didn't turn in the direction of the voice, knowing full well whom it belonged to.

-What do you want, Gaara?

The ninja from the Sand Village got out of the darkness of the forest, chuckling in a way that chilled people's blood in their veins.

-You are not very friendly, Uchiha. I'm here only to deliver something to you.

A pair of suspicious black eyes glared in the redhead's direction, searching for any signs of betrayal: Gaara handed him a light white envelope, whispering with his monotone voice:

-That strange teacher of yours, the one with scar on his nose, told me to give you this. He said that it was important for your little problem.

"Iruka...? What could be?"

Gaara threw the letter in his direction, then disapperaed again.

"He's going spying Lee again, I'm sure..." thought Sasuke, picking up the piece of paper and opening it with only the slightest hint of concearn.

The letter was covered with a handwriting incredibly crumpled and confused, still it was somehow elegant, in its own weird way; it was not Iruka's handwriting or the handwriting of anyone he knew, and that made him only more curious about the contents of the letter.

He read carefully, getting more and more dazed as he went on. It said:

_Last night, the sharks' enemy sang me to sleep, and I rest in his home in the dephts of the sea. He sang me a song about hunt: how can a predator be afraid of the little teeth of the creature he's trying to eat? "It's absurd", he said, but I don't believe him._

_I'm little, in my lonesome lair, and I can't beat him: he's just higher than me.  
I guess sometimes predators just got eaten up.  
And I could never be happier when eaten up by that darkness of his._


End file.
